He turned to look at the pink-haired fairy beside him, who had now fallen into an even deeper confusion due to the recent events.
He knew that a seed of doubt, of wavering, had been successfully planted in her heart.
Now, he just needed to wait patiently for that seed to take root, sprout, and ultimately grow into a towering tree capable of toppling the entire Hakkesshu alliance.
And he, Cloud, only needed to be a leisurely "gardener."
1997 was destined to be an extraordinary year.
The air was thick with tension—the calm before the storm.
Anyone with even a passing understanding of world affairs knew that a tempest that would determine humanity's future was brewing.
And the trigger for that storm was none other than the KOF97 tournament invitations flying like snowflakes to every corner of the globe.
This year's invitations were designed to be particularly "high-end."
Black-and-gold envelopes, badges crafted from some unknown metal engraved with "KOF97," and even a black card with unlimited global spending included as "travel allowance" for participants.
"Holy crap, this year's organizers went all out!" Terry looked at the black card in his hand and whistled. "Andy, you think after the tournament we can use this card to buy ourselves an island for retirement?"
"Brother, please focus on the competition!" Andy rubbed his forehead with a blackened expression.
"Hehehe, Master, look look! With this, can I eat meat buns until I'm stuffed every day?" Sie Kensou waved the black card excitedly, bouncing around.
Chin Gentsai stroked his beard, a sharp glint passing through his eyes. "This level of spending... doesn't match the Kagura Financial Group's style. It seems this year's waters run even deeper than we imagined."
As a three-time defending champion and "World Savior" (unofficial certification), the invitation Cloud received was naturally "Supreme VIP" level.
But what interested him wasn't the luxurious invitation—it was the person who delivered it.
That afternoon, Cloud was in his own estate, enjoying a "pincer attack" massage from Mai Shiranui and Yuri Sakazaki. His lifestyle was more decadent than an ancient tyrant's.
Suddenly, the estate's intelligent security system triggered an alarm.
[Warning! Unidentified high-energy biological entity approaching! Energy level: S+! Danger coefficient: HIGH!]
However, before Cloud could react, a man wearing a flashy purple suit with a fierce buzzcut and an eerie smile on his face had already ghost-like bypassed layer after layer of defenses and appeared in the courtyard.
One hand was stuffed in his pants pocket while the other toyed with a sharp knife.
His walk was arrogant, domineering, oozing an aura of "I'm yakuza—don't like it, fight me."
It was none other than the head of Japan's "Yamazaki-gumi," and a member of Orochi's Hakkesshu—Ryuji Yamazaki!
"My my, the King of Fighters certainly lives... a simple and unadorned life." Yamazaki eyed the fragrant scene of Cloud being attended by two women and whistled, his gaze full of playful mockery.
Mai and Yuri immediately stood up alertly, positioning themselves in front of Cloud.
They could sense that the man before them was dangerous.
But Cloud just waved his hand lazily, signaling them to relax.
He studied Ryuji Yamazaki with interest, thinking: So this is the slacker who never fits in with the rest of the Hakkesshu? Interesting.
He knew Ryuji Yamazaki was different from the other Hakkesshu members.
Others, like Goenitz, were "fanatics" who would sacrifice anything for Orochi's revival.
Mature and Shermie were "beauty-appreciators + freedom-seekers," easily turned by "sugar-coated bullets" and "life philosophy."
Yashiro was a "nice guy"—stubborn, single-minded.
But Ryuji Yamazaki was a pure, refined egoist.
"Earth's will," "human cleansing," "returning to nothingness"... these lofty "causes" were all bullshit to him!
He believed in only one thing—money and power!
His life philosophy was simple: whoever made him happy, whoever helped him earn more money and build a bigger criminal empire—that person was his boss!
"So you're Ryuji Yamazaki?" Cloud slowly sat up, picked up a glass of iced cola, and took a sip. His tone was flat. "What brings you to my place? Here to collect protection money?"
The smirk on Yamazaki's face stiffened slightly.
He could sense that this seemingly lazy man emanated a terrifying presence as unfathomable as an abyss.
It was an absolute crushing force from a higher level of existence—one that made even him, a yakuza boss who'd licked blood off knife edges his whole life, feel a deep chill.
Yamazaki dropped his devil-may-care attitude, his expression becoming somewhat more serious.
"Wouldn't dare." He placed a black-and-gold invitation on the stone table. "I'm Ryuji Yamazaki, currently serving as personal bodyguard for Mr. Norton, this year's KOF tournament organizer. I'm here on his orders to deliver the invitation to Your Majesty the King of Fighters."
He paused, then added: "Of course, regarding your impressive feat of taking down that self-righteous Emperor at Mount Fuji's summit—I have to say, I quite admire it. That old bastard kept trying to muscle in on our Yamazaki-gumi's business. His death cleaned things up nicely."
These words, seemingly complimentary, were actually a statement of position—I'm not one of those colleagues who just want to cause chaos.
Cloud smiled.
He knew that the man before him was the weakest link in the Hakkesshu alliance, and the easiest one to win over.
Because he had desires.
And people with desires were the easiest to control.
...
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